Device for manually or automatically inflating a life preserver

ABSTRACT

A device for manually or automatically puncturing one or more carbon dioxide cartridges for use in inflating a life preserver. A water-soluble disk is used to prevent movement of a springbiased piston, and upon dissolving of this water-soluble disk, the spring-biased cylinder moves to withdraw a stop thereby permitting actuation of toggle linkage to drive one or more plungers which puncture one or more carbon dioxide cartridges. A one-way valve which is actuated by water pressure is provided to prevent high humidity or water spray from dissolving the watersoluble disk. A cable is also provided which can be used to actuate the toggle linkage to puncture the carbon dioxide cartridges.

United States Patent Inventors Orville L. Beckes Washington; Sherman E.Dare, Wheathnd, both of Ind. Appl. No. 24,574 Filed Apr. 1, 1970Patented Dec. 28, 1971 Assignee The United States of America asrepresented by the Secretary of the Navy DEVICE FOR MANUALLY ORAUTOMATICALLY INFLATING A LIFE PRESERVE]! FORElGN PATENTS 110,66811/1917 Great Britain 690,245 6/1930 France 6/3 Primary Examiner-Stanleyl-l. Tollberg Assistant Examiner-Francis J. Bartuska AttorneysRt S.Sciascia, H. H. Losche and Paul S. Collignon ABSTRACT: A device formanually or automatically puncturing one or more carbon dioxidecartridges for use in inflating a life preserver. A water-soluble diskis used to prevent movement of a spring-biased piston, and upondissolving of this water-soluble disk, the spring-biased cylinder movesto withdraw a stop thereby permitting actuation of toggle linkage todrive one or more plungers which puncture one or more carbon dioxidecartridges. A one-way valve which is actuated by water pressure isprovided to prevent high humidity or water spray from dissolving thewater-soluble disk. A cable is also provided which can be used toactuate the toggle linkage to puncture the carbon dioxide cartridges.

Pafented Dec. 28, 1971 mm mm DEVICE FOR MANUALLY OR AUTOMATICALLYINFLATING A LIFE PRESERVER STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST Theinvention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for theGovernment of the United States of America for governmental purposeswithout the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION releases carbon dioxide to inflate thejacket. The only disadvantage to these presently available devices isthat, if the wearer of the life preserver is a small child, the childmay not be able to actuate the device particularly if the child suddenlyfalls into the water and is frightened, and also adults, such asmilitary personnel, may be injured or unconscious, and may not becapable of operating a manual device.

Various devices have been providedto permit automatic inflation of alife preserver upon entering water. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,964,050, whichissued Dec. 13, 1960, to Joseph F. Novak, a container of compressed airis provided with a spring loaded valve which, when depressed, permitsflow of the gas from the container to an inflatable body. A plungerwhich is loaded by a coiled spring is provided to depress the valve, butis prevented from movement by a liquid disintegrable body composed ofaspirin or the like. Upon entering the water, the disintegrable bodydissolves, and the plunger is driven by a spring against the valve topermit passage of compressed air from the container into the inflatablebody.

Another automatically inflatable life preserver is shown and describedin U.S. Pat. No. 3,127,624, which issued Apr. 7, 1964, to Ted J. Kubitand William S. Stanton. In this patented device, a puncturing needle isstationarily mounted in a housing, and a carbon dioxide cartridge ispositioned so that it can be moved against the puncturing needle by acam attached to a pivotal element. A spring mechanism is provided tomove the pivotal element but is restrained by a stop mechanism whichincludes a sugar cube. Upon entering water, the sugar cube dissolves andthe spring mechanism moves the cartridge against the puncturing needle.A cable is provided so that the pivotal element can also be manuallyactuated.

The main disadvantage to most heretofore available actuating devices isthat there is no protection from water spray or high humidity and thedevice can be triggered without entering water.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an inflatabledevice for life 'preservers which can be manually actuated by pulling acable and which will automatically actuate when a wearer of the lifepreserver enters water. A pair of gas cartridges are threadedly attachedto a housing and first and second puncturing elements are provided forpuncturing these gas cartridges. A toggle mechanism, which is springdrivable, is provided to actuate the first and second puncturingelements, but a latch is provided to retain the toggle mechanism in acocked position. A spring-drivable piston is provided as a releasemechanism for the latch, but movement of the piston is prevented by asoluble disk positioned in a cylinder containing the piston. A one wayvalve is provided to prevent water spray from entering into the cylindercontaining the soluble disk. A cable is provided to actuate the togglemechanism by pulling.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide adevice which will automatically inflate a life preserver when immersedin water.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is a plan view, partially insection and partially broken away, showing a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a latching bar;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of slidable stop; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a bifurcated plunger.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing,there is shown a housing 11 to which first and second gas cartridges l2and 13 are threadedly attached. Although a pair of cartridges are shown,it should be understood that a single cartridge could be utilized whenthe item to be inflated is of small capacity. A fastening hole 14 and aninflation hole 15 are provided to facilitate the securing of the presentinvention to a life preserver (not shown). A plunger 16 is provided foreach gas cartridge and each plunger is slidable in a bore 17 and biasedaway from the end of the gas cartridge by a spring 18. A sealing ring 19is provided around the periphery of plunger 16 to prevent excessive lossof gas when the gas cartridges are punctured. Upon puncturing of the gascartridges, gas passes through hole 21 and then through inflation hole15 to which an inflatable device is attached.

A pressure bar 22 is provided to move plungers l6 and pushing pads 23and 24 are pivotally attached to driving bar 22 by means of pins 25 and26, respectively. Pushing pads 23 and 24 are curved to fit the curvatureof the heads 27 of plungers 16. A toggle mechanism, comprised of yoke 28and links 31 and 32 is provided to actuate pressure bar 22. One end oflink 31 is pivotally attached to housing 11 by means of pin 33 while oneend of link 32 is pivotally attached to pressure bar 22 by means of pin34. The other ends of links 31 and 32 are attached to yoke 28 by meansof pin 35. Yoke 28 is slidably mounted in bore 36 in housing 11 and aspring 37 is provided which furnishes the driving force for movement ofthe toggle mechanism.

A latch 38 is pivotally attached to housing 11 by means of pin 40 andthe toggle mechanism is connected to latch 38 by link 29 which has oneend attached to latch 38 by means of pin 30 and the other end connectedto pin 35. One end of latch 38 is engageable with latching bar 39 whichis rotatably mounted to housing 11, and is normally prevented fromrotation by slidable stop 41. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing,a tang 42 and a slot 43 are provided on latching bar 39. Tang 42 isengageable with slidable stop 41 and latch 38 is engageable in slot 43.Slidable stop 41 is connected to piston 44 by means of pin 45 whichpasses through an elongated hole 46 in slidable stop 41. As will be morefully hereinafter explained, elongated hole 46 permits movement ofslidable stop 41 while piston 44 remains stationary, thereby pennittingmanual operation of the device of the present invention. A spring 47 isprovided in a bore 48 in slidable stop 41 and spring 47 biases piston 44and slidable stop 41 as far apart as elongated hole 46 pennits.

Piston 44 is slidably mounted in cylinder 49 and a piston spring 51 isprovided to move piston 44. A soluble disk 52 of suitable material isprovided to prevent movement of piston 44 until the mechanism isimmersed in water, such as occasioned by a person falling off a boat. Avalve mechanism 53, which is kept closed with a very weak spring 54-isprovided to prevent water spray or rain from affecting soluble disk 52.A threaded cap 55 closes cylinder 49 and cap 55 is provided with aplurality of holes 56 that permit water to enter cylinder 49 when thewater pressure is sufficient to depress spring 54 and open valve 53.

A release lever 57 is pivotally attached to housing 11 by pin 58, andrelease lever 47 is connected to slidable stop 41 by means of pin 59which passes through hole 61 in slidable stop 41 and elongated slot 62in release lever 57. One end of cable 63 is attached to release lever 57and the other end of cable 63 is attached to a small ring 64 throughwhich cable 65 passes. A bifurcated plunger 66 is attached to latch 38by pin 67 and a connected to one end of cable 65 to facilitate pullingof cable 65 and the other end of cable 65 is attached to bifurcatedplunger 66.

OPERATION Assuming the inflation device is in a cocked position, asshown in P16. 1 of the drawing, upon entering water by a person wearingthe device, water enters through holes 56 in cap 55 and water pressureopens valve 53 to pennit entry of water into cylinder 49. Soluble disk52 is dissolved by the water in cylinder 49 whereupon spring 51 movespiston 44 which, in turn, pulls slidable stop 41 a sufficient distanceto be clear of tang 42 on latching bar 39. Latch 38 applies a pushingforce on latching bar 39 due to the force applied by spring 68 tobifurcated plunger 66. Upon tang 42 being clear from slidable stop 41,latch 38 is rotated about pin 40 and latching bar 39 is rotated to freelatch 38. As latch 38 rotates, pin 30 is raised which, in turn, raiseslink 29 thereby permitting spring 37 to operate the toggle mechanismcomprised of links 31 and 32 and yoke 28. The toggle mechanism movespressure bar 22 thereby causing pushing pads 23 and 24 to move plungers16- thereby puncturing gas cartridges l2 and 13. Gas from the puncturedcartridges passes through hole 21 and into inflation hole to which aninflatable device is attached.

Assuming again that the inflation device is in a cocked position asshown in FIG. 1 of the drawing, and a manual release is desired, pullingof handle 71 causes cable 63 to pivot release lever 57 about pin 58 andthis pivoting causes pin 59 to move slidable stop 41 to the rear asufficient distance to permit tang 42 on latching bar 39 to clearslidable stop 41. When tang 42 becomes free to rotate, the mechanismoperates in the same manner as that described for automatic operation,with the difference between automatic and manual operation being in themanner in which slidable stop 41 is withdrawn from contact with tang 42.

We claim:

1. A device for automatically inflating a life preserver comp g ahousing adaptable for attaching an inflatable life preserver and atleast one gas cartridge thereto,

at least one puncturing element slidably mounted in said housing andadaptable for engaging the end of a gas cartridge attached to saidhousing,

a toggle mechanism pivotally attached to said housing for actuating saidat least one puncturing element,

a latch pivotally attached to said housing and connected to said togglemechanism,

a latching bar rotatably mounted to said housing and engageable withsaid latch to lock said latch in a cocked position,

a slidable stop,

means including a water soluble disk for biasing said slidable stop inengagement with said latching bar,

a release lever pivotally attached to said housing for disengaging saidslidable stop from said latching bar,

and a spring connected to said toggle mechanism for actuating saidtoggle mechanism upon disengagement of said latch from aid latching bar.

2. A device for automatically inflating a life preserver as set forth inclaim 1 having a spring biasing said latch into engagement with saidlatching bar whereupon disengagement of said slidable stop from saidlatching bar said latch rotates said latching bar thereby causingdisengagement between said latch and said latching bar.

3. A device for automatically inflating a life preserver as set forth inclaim 1 wherein said means including a water soluble disk for biasingsaid slidable stop in engagement with said latching bar comprises acylinder in said housing, a piston slidably mounted in said cylinder anda spring biasing said cylinder ainst said soluble disk, said pistonbeing connected to said sh able stop whereby water en enng said cylinderdissolves said soluble disk whereupon said spring moves said piston todisengage said slidable stop from said latching bar.

4. A device for automatically inflating a life preserver as set forth inclaim 3 wherein said cylinder has an opening for the entrance of waterand a spring-biased valve closing said entrance.

1. A device for automatically inflating a life preserver comprising, ahousing adaptable for attaching an inflatable life preserver and atleast one gas cartridge thereto, at least one puncturing elementslidably mounted in said housing and adaptable for engaging the end of agas cartridge attached to said housing, a toggle mechanism pivotallyattached to said housing for actuating said at least one puncturingelement, a latch pivotally attached to said housing and connected tosaid toggle mechanism, a latching bar rotatably mounTed to said housingand engageable with said latch to lock said latch in a cocked position,a slidable stop, means including a water soluble disk for biasing saidslidable stop in engagement with said latching bar, a release leverpivotally attached to said housing for disengaging said slidable stopfrom said latching bar, and a spring connected to said toggle mechanismfor actuating said toggle mechanism upon disengagement of said latchfrom said latching bar.
 2. A device for automatically inflating a lifepreserver as set forth in claim
 1. having a spring biasing said latchinto engagement with said latching bar whereupon disengagement of saidslidable stop from said latching bar said latch rotates said latchingbar thereby causing disengagement between said latch and said latchingbar.
 3. A device for automatically inflating a life preserver as setforth in claim
 1. wherein said means including a water soluble disk forbiasing said slidable stop in engagement with said latching barcomprises a cylinder in said housing, a piston slidably mounted in saidcylinder and a spring biasing said cylinder against said soluble disk,said piston being connected to said slidable stop whereby water enteringsaid cylinder dissolves said soluble disk whereupon said spring movessaid piston to disengage said slidable stop from said latching bar.
 4. Adevice for automatically inflating a life preserver as set forth inclaim
 3. wherein said cylinder has an opening for the entrance of waterand a spring-biased valve closing said entrance.